The Beginning
by LadyRiona
Summary: Howl was a young curious wizard, but his heart was still quite soft. He couldn't help wanting to save the falling star. Mainly movieverse but with bookverse aspects. No pairings. Prestory.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Howl's Moving Castle. If I did, it wouldn't be such a masterpiece.**

Author's Note: This piece took second place in a Fanfiction contest on the site that I co-administrate, www . Novice Writers . net. It was written as an anime/manga entry, so needless to say, this is mostly movie-verse, but there are pieces of the book I've incorporated. If you decide to review, please keep things to constructive criticism. If there's something you dislike about the story, please tell me politely. Thanks for your time, and enjoy the story.

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**The Beginning  
****A **_**Howl's Moving Castle**_** Fanfiction  
by: LadyRiona**

Young Howl walked slowly through the starlit field. He knew this land from memory. He knew every groove in the earth; every ditch, small or large; every puddle or pond. To him, each blade of grass could have had a name if he'd cared to give one to them. He'd walked along this beautiful field every night of the past few years, ever since his uncle had given it to him as his own private place of study. It was as much his home now more than anywhere else ever had been.

The land was so glorious to behold in the evenings. There were mountains that kept it safe and hidden from the neighboring countries. Large lakes dotted the landscape, reflecting the bright stars on the surface as if they now dwelled on land, rather than in the sky. Through a spell, the grass was kept at a length where Howl could lie down in it and be hidden easily, not worrying about the world around him. There were so many different flowers, fully bloomed and growing in patches. Howl often wondered what it would look like if they grew everywhere, all over the valley. He'd tried before to encourage some of the prettier flowers to bloom closer to his cottage, but he'd lost interest in them too soon, resulting in green buds lining the walls before they died.

The best thing about this land, though, Howl's favorite aspect, was that it was a resting ground for falling stars. Whenever the celestial beings decided to leave their home in the heavens, they would fall below to the grassy valley. Howl always made it a priority to be out when they fell. He'd heard rumors from his uncle, and other powerful wizards about fallen stars, and there was a particular one he wanted to confirm for himself. It was just a matter of catching one…

So many nights over the past years, Howl had attempted to catch a falling star. He just wanted to catch it and ask it questions, to see if the rumors were true, if it really would aid him magically. After a few visits on these nights, his uncle had discovered his plan and forbade him from trying again then punished him for his "foolishness". Of course, Howl hadn't listened and had gone out again the next time the stars had begun to dislodge themselves from the sky a few weeks later.

He'd heard that if a wizard could catch a falling star before it died, he could make a deal with the star, a trade in most cases, and the star would increase the wizard's magical ability. This was something Howl wanted to validate. He'd been told that he was extremely gifted in the ways of a wizard, that he would grow up to one day be a Royal Wizard in Kingsbury, working for the king himself. Howl knew that, but he didn't care. He just wanted to ask a star, to see if it was true. After all, more power couldn't hurt if there was some truth to it. He'd also heard that a star could increase a wizard's lifespan…

So one cool night, not too long after Midsummer's Day, Howl found himself in the valley, making his nightly haunt. He hadn't foreseen it, but tonight was a death night for stars. A great many of them were falling from high, high above, plummeting down to the earth in a last show of wonder before burning out forever. For some reason, he wasn't that interested in trying to catch a star tonight. Howl was studying the sullen beauty of their fall, letting the melancholic show of wondrous lights wash over him.

When he'd been walking for a while, watching the stars for maybe two hours, something told Howl to look up to the sky. When he did, he saw a star falling straight for him. He'd watched enough stars to be able to calculate their fall-path and guess very closely to where they would fall. So when he caught sight of the ball of fire heading straight for him, Howl braced himself and put his hands out, ready for the being to fall to him.

In seconds he hadn't realized had passed, Howl felt his hands burning. He ignored the feeling almost as easily as if it didn't exist. He'd finally caught a star! For years, he'd tried, and now he had his wish. The star's light was still bright, but Howl managed to look down at it despite the intensity. It was a quivering thing, small and frightened. It seemed so young in comparison to the other stars Howl had almost caught; had it really meant to fall at this time, or had it been pushed out of the sky as a cruel joke? Every wizard knew that a star would die when it left the sky unless someone saved it.

But as he looked into the star's large eyes, a feeling of pity washed over Howl. This thing looked so scared. He couldn't blame it; of course it had to know that falling meant its death. Howl felt sorry for it, and suddenly he wanted to save it. The things he'd wanted to ask left his mind immediately.

"I'll help you," Howl said in a whisper, certain if he spoke any louder than that the star would die then and there from sheer fright. Its light turned to a faint blue one.

The star looked at him with incredulity mixed with its fear. "How will you help me? I'm dying. No one can save me now."

But Howl nodded. "I can; I'm a wizard. You can live through me like a human would live," he told it. Why he had chosen those words, Howl couldn't say. They'd just sounded right, like something a star would agree to do. After all, if Howl were in its position, he would take any offer given to him just to stay alive.

The star seemed to consider. "Make a deal with me, so I know you won't exploit me," it said after a few moments of thought. The fear was still there, but it was slowly fading, just like the star's light. Howl gave a nod in agreement. So the star began the terms, "Give me your heart, and I'll give you my power. That way, we share your heart and you'll be one of the strongest wizards around."

Howl took his turn to think. "Will you make me live longer?" The star was becoming dimmer every second.

It looked awkward, but the star nodded. "Of course. Do we have a deal? Your heart for my power and a long life for both of us?" it asked.

Once more, Howl nodded. "We have a deal," he concluded. The two remained still, both at a loss. Just how was he supposed to give this star his heart? It wasn't like the fiery looking thing had arms with which it could remove the organ. Then it began to sink in to Howl that he'd promised his heart; how would he live without it?

As if his questions were written plainly on his face, the star told him, "Don't worry, you won't die. I'm a powerful fire demon, and I don't want to die. If you die now, I will, too. Just swallow me and I'll take care of the rest."

Howl gave it a few more seconds' thoughts before he nodded and lifted the star to his lips. It was like liquid fire that ran down his throat as he drank it in. The burning sensation filled his mouth and senses, traveling all throughout his body. Panic surged through him until he remembered what the star had said: If Howl died, the star would die, too.

He could feel his heartbeat. The fast pulsing was beating all through his body. It was loud in his head, thumping across his skin, going faster with each second as the fire demon worked to dislodge Howl's heart. It was suddenly hard to breathe. Between the scalding feeling and not being able to take a breath, he thought he was going to faint until it was all over. Things went dark for a few seconds before he coughed. Something was stuck in his throat now.

Howl bent double and put his hands to first his throat as if he could grasp whatever was caught. Then his hands went to his mouth as the object worked its way up, then passed his lips. With one more cough, Howl felt something warm drop into his hands. Within seconds, his palms were burning once more, like they had when he'd held the star. At the same time, he felt a chill go through him. He felt extremely odd and peculiar.

When Howl opened his eyes, he saw a fire in his hands. He panicked and almost dropped the ball of flame. There was a soft pulsing in his palms. It was seemed familiar, yet strangely foreign at the same time. It was then that Howl realized that the star, now a fire, really had taken his heart! He watched as the pinkish red tone of his heart slowly charred black as the fire burned it. His chest hurt as if the fire was still there, burning him from the inside instead of in his hands.

"That feeling won't last, trust me. It'll go away soon." Could the star read his mind now? It seemed so; it also seemed that Howl could read its mind, as well. "My name is Calcifer, by the way," the fire said off-handedly, as if he hadn't just removed a young boy's heart. The fire was a myriad of colors, mostly orange and red with traces of blue and green. If Howl looked closely enough, he could see a face in the flames. In amazement, Howl nodded and introduced himself quietly. "Well, Wizard Howl, here is the beginning of a long friendship. Let us hope it's a good one."


End file.
